Tri-State Shale Coalition to spur growth in Appalachia

By North American Shale magazine staff | May 15, 2018

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Shale gas development in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania will continue to flourish thanks to the extension of the Tri-State Shale Coalition agreement. Formed with the blessing and agreement of Gov. Jim Justice, R-West Virginia, Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio and Gov. Tom Wolf, D-Pennsylvania, the shale pact is meant to bring investment to the region and maintain a strong workforce. “Instead of competing, our three states are working together to promote the region as a center for shale-related manufacturing,” Justice said. “Shale gas presents an opportunity to spur economic growth beyond the wellhead.”

First formed in 2015, the recent coalition agreement will run through 2021. “We are working to attract investors and downstream partners,” Justice added. “We are encouraging chemicals and plastic manufacturers to come here, stay here and grow with us in the Appalachian region.”

Under the agreement, the states work together on issues related to infrastructure systems, workforce development and marketing activities to better enable the region to harness the potential of Appalachian gas and natural gas liquids. The agreement identifies key areas in which the states cooperate to grow the natural gas industry, including workforce development, infrastructure and research.

Early this year, a whitepaper from Petrochemical Update outlined the possibility for the Appalachia region and the Northeast to become a petrochemical hub. “While the region with its ample and reliable supply of ethane is primed for the emergence as a second major petrochemical manufacturing hub in the United States, it faces the challenges of rapidly developing a workforce, as well as storage and pipeline infrastructure to fuel such development,” the whitepaper noted.